Fargo soldier killed in Iraq

The Forum, Fargo, North Dakota

By Andrea Domaskin adomaskin@forumcomm.com
Front page - 09/23/2004

A former North Dakota State University wrestler became the first Fargo soldier to die in Iraq. Lance Koenig, 33, was killed Wednesday by a roadside bomb while on patrol near Tikrit, in northern Iraq. He is the state’s eighth warrelated fatality and the third member of the National Guard’s 141st Engineer Combat Battalion to die.
Koenig was assigned to Company B of the 141st, out of Jamestown.

The Guard did not release the man’s name or military rank. His death was confirmed by family and friends.

“He was a good family man, and he understood his responsibilities and filled his respon sibilities,” said Koenig’s brother, Les, a pastor at First Baptist Church in Aberdeen, S.D.

Koenig and his wife, Angie, married in 1994 and had two daughters, ages 12 and 2, said Fargo Police Sgt. Joel Vettel, who was on NDSU’s wrestling team with Koenig.

“He was such a goofy guy,” Vettel said. “He was so fun loving.”

Koenig was a three-time state champion at Carrington High School and was NDSU’s No. 1 recruit in 1989.

Koenig was working construction before he was deployed, Vettel said.

Vettel said on Wednesday night that he had eight voicemails on his phone from friends who wanted to talk about Koenig.

“Something like this kind of pulls everyone together,” he said.

Vettel heard of Koenig’s death from NDSU wrestling coach Bucky Maughan, who returned early from a recruiting trip in the Twin Cities and spent the day consoling and phoning ex-teammates.

Jen Sahr, whose uncle and brother-in-law are both serving in Iraq, said she was saddened when she heard a soldier died, but was relieved to hear her loved ones were alive.

“It makes a whole mix of emotions, really,” Sahr said.

Sahr, who organized a fundraiser for members of the 141st last week, said she heard the news from the wives of her brother-in-law and uncle.

When a soldier is killed, a chaplain and a casualty notification officer visit the family. Guard soldiers then contact the families of other soldiers in the unit to let them know their relatives are OK.

The Department of Defense does not release the names of soldiers who die until 24 hours after the family has been notified, the National Guard said.

Military officials in Iraq said the soldier was in a vehicle when he spotted a suspicious object at the side of the road.

It turned out to be a bomb, which detonated and killed the soldier, said Maj. Neal O’Brien, spokesman for the Army’s 1st Infantry Division.

North Dakota National Guard officials knew of no other soldiers with serious injuries from the incident, spokesman Rob Keller said.

About 475 members of the 141st are in Iraq. The unit started arriving in Kuwait on Feb. 15 and was expected to serve about a year.

They are primarily in Balad and Baqubah, just north of Baghdad, and near Tikrit, about 100 miles northwest of Baghdad. Other N.D. fatalities

As of Wednesday, eight U.S. service members serving with North Dakota military units have been killed while on duty in Iraq:

• Spc. Jon Fettig, 30, of Dickinson. Killed July 22, 2003, in an attack on a convoy near Ar Ramadi. Assigned to the North Dakota National Guard’s 957th Multi-Role Bridge Company.

• Pfc. Sheldon Hawk Eagle, 21, of Grand Forks. Among 17 Americans killed Nov. 15, 2003, when two helicopters crashed in Mosul. Assigned to the Army’s 1st Battalion, 320th Field Artillery, 101st Airborne Division.

• Spc. Thomas Sweet II, 23, of Bismarck. Died Nov. 27, 2003, in Junction City from a noncombat-related gunshot wound. Assigned to the Army’s 1st Battalion, 5th Field Artillery Regiment, 1st Infantry Division.

• Staff Sgt. Ken Hendrickson, 41, of Bismarck. Killed Jan. 24, 2004, when a bomb struck a four-vehicle convoy north of Fallujah. Assigned to the North Dakota National Guard’s 957th Multi-Role Bridge Company.

• Sgt. Keith Smette, 25, of Makoti. Killed Jan. 24 when a bomb exploded in a convoy near Fallujah. Assigned to the North Dakota National Guard’s 957th Multi-Role Bridge Company.

• Spc. Philip Brown, 21, of Jamestown. Died May 8 after being wounded by an explosive while on foot patrol. Assigned to the North Dakota National Guard’s 141st Engineer Combat Battalion.

• Spc. James Holmes, 28, Army National Guard, East Grand Forks, Minn. Died May 8 in Landstuhl, Germany, from wounds suffered May 3 when a roadside bomb exploded while he was on vehicle patrol. Assigned to the North Dakota National Guard’s 141st Engineer Combat Battalion.

Forum reporter Dawn Peake and The Associated Press contributed to this story.

Readers can reach Forum reporter Andrea Domaskin at (701) 241-5556